New Delhi: US drug maker Merck has introduced Zostavax, its vaccine brand that prevents a painful viral infection. The product that posted worldwide sales of over $750 million (Rs5,133 crore) in 2014 will now be available here at Rs7,500-8,000 (nearly half of its US price), market sources said.

Merck, known as MSD in India and other markets outside the US and Canada, sells a range of vaccines here including Gardasil to prevent human papilloma virus and RotaTeq for rotavirus. The latest launch reflects the company's aggressive outlook to launch new products. Following a soft launch last month, the vaccine is now being made available in wider markets.

Zostavax reduces almost by 50% the risk of elderly people getting shingles, which causes painful blisters in adults, according to the US Centre for Diseases Control and Prevention (CDC). MSD has recommended Zostavax for adults aged 50 years and above.

Caused by reactivation of the chickenpox-causing varicella/herpes zoster virus, particularly in those with weakening immune systems, the severe pain from shingles can last for months or even years, CDC noted.

In extreme cases, shingles can also result in pneumonia, hearing problems, blindness, encephalitis (brain inflammation) and death.

While one out of every three people 60 years or older are susceptible to shingles in the US, reportedly only one out of every seven in India who had chickenpox may see the virus resurfacing.

While MSD was reluctant to share or comment on pricing details of Zostavax in India, citing regulatory reasons, an Indian Medical Association (IMA) official said it may only be accessible for a small section of the population, like with some other vaccines.

Zostavax has a ‘fair price’ of $211 (Rs14,432.40) per dose in the US, according to healthcarebluebook.com, a US-based website providing transparent pricing information. The vaccine is priced anywhere between Rs7,000-Rs8,000 per dose in India, according to market sources who did not want to be named.

IMA secretary general KK Aggarwal noted Zostavax would be of value to immune-compromised and high-risk patients, but may not be successful as part of routine vaccination regimen. “We need cost-effective vaccines for the country. Pneumovax 23 and PCV13 both are very costly,” he added.

VALUED VACCINE: However, a few medical professionals described Zostavax as a “worthwhile investment" for the elderly, as shingles would also increase their susceptibility to post herpetic neuralgia (a persisting severe nerve pain).

“More than just getting shingles and the lesions, it’s the pain that troubles the elderly a lot,” said Ajita Bagai, a senior dermatology consultant at Max Healthcare.

According to Bagai, cases of shingles have been on the rise and are not limited to just the 50-and-above age group Zostavax targets. “We are even seeing it in children between 12-15 years now,” she said, adding it could be due to lowered immunity from a more stressful lifestyle and improper diet.

“We trust that [Zostavax] is seen as a further assurance of the fact that we are committed to bringing our research and innovation to India,” said Merck Vaccines head of global marketing and international commercial operations, Patrick Bergstedt.

The vaccine has not been favoured for those between 50-59 years by some health authorities for mass programs based on cost-related issues.

Taking cost-effectiveness among other reasons into consideration, CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) in 2013 decided not to recommend Zostavax for anyone under 60 years old in the US.

A 2015 study by US multi-speciality academic hospital Cleveland Clinic, too, reported that the vaccine would not represent good value to 50-59 year olds. The vaccine’s protective effect lasts 10-12 years, leaving those vaccinated at 50 years unprotected by the time they turned 60, the study’s senior author Michael Rothberg reportedly told an international news agency last year.

With immense pride “India Live” celebrated its 10th national conference in Mumbai from 28th February to 3rd March 2019. The conference turned out to be a gold mine of information, with emphasis on academics, education and exchange of knowledge with leaders in interventional cardiology from both India and abroad.